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If you're looking for offbeat fiction, fantasy, scifi, essay, or even rare bits of poetry, you've come to the right place. Enjoy!

Shadow and Shade

"I stayed up all night finishing Shadow and Shade, a fascinating fantasy world of magic, family, and what happens when the two collide. A tough and enchanting tale that will have you listening to the forest and talking to the wolves. I can't wait to see what Gerrard writes next!" Rebecca Cantrell, New York Times bestselling author of The World Beneath

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Thinking Outside the Gift Box

Shopping for gifts is hard. Shopping for anniversary gifts is even harder. Not only are you supposed to find the right gift, you’re supposed to find the gift that’s perfect for the one you love. Who else would know your mate better than you? The answer is: your mate. My wife and I came up with a system that makes it easy to find a great anniversary gift that your spouse is sure to enjoy.

First we took the guesswork out it. We find the gifts that we want and tell our spouse what they were. Stop booing. It may spoil the surprise, but you gain the anticipation of waiting to get exactly what you wanted. Both of you will also be blessed with not having to suffer through the confusing, painstaking misery of shopping for the perfect gift.

Next we came up with a way to dream up creative gifts from year to year. Let’s face it: once you’re past a certain age, you probably have most of what you want already. Coming up with an idea for a gift you really want can take days. Even then it’ll probably be the same old thing.

We take the anniversary gift categories – traditional or modern – and put a spin on them. As long as the gift is remotely related to the category, it counts. Here’s an example. The gift categories for second anniversaries are cotton or china. My wife asked me a get a crafting lamp with a magnifying glass for her present. She likes to cross stitch, and cross stitch patterns are made of cotton. In return, I asked her to buy me racing shorts for a triathlon I was training for. Technically, there isn’t an ounce of cotton in them, but it’s a gift made of fabric and cotton is a fabric. Yes, it’s a stretch. We also both got exactly what we wanted.

My wife is still thinking through what she wants for this year. For a third anniversary, the categories are leather, crystal and glass. We already have the crystal glassware that we wanted for our wedding china. So far she’s looked at some nice wine glasses. I’ve also been looking at bracelet charms, since some of them have crystals or stones in them.

For me, I considered geode bookcases, or some kind of neat decorative new age stone, since technically those are great big crystals. I thought of asking for a new watch: wristbands are made of leather, watches used to have glass faces, and digital watches have liquid crystal displays. I also already have a watch, so that didn’t work out. This year, I’m asking for a leather journal case. Every year around Christmas I would see one and think, “It’s nice, but it’s too extravagant. I don’t really need it.” For an anniversary gift, it’s just right.

Give it a go and let your imagination run wild. You’ll never give a bad gift again.